This invention relates generally to a dump body for an off-highway truck, and more specifically to an improved design skeletal structure for the body.
Off-highway trucks having dump bodies are used in a variety of applications such as, mining and construction industries. Typical bodies include a box made up of a floor having a pair of sides extending vertically upward from the floor, and a front extending upward from the floor and between the sides. Often a skeletal structure, or skeleton, is constructed on an outer surface of the box; the skeleton acts to strengthen the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,096 discloses a dump body for an off-high truck having a skeletal structure supporting a dump body. The skeletal structural disclosed utilizes longitudinal ribs and vertical ribs that are disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal ribs. Most ribs have a substantially xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped cross-section including a pair of legs and an exterior leg disposed therebetween. The ribs may be formed from a single piece of flat plate or in some instances formed of two or more flat plates. At the joints, or intersections, of longitudinal and lateral ribs it is typical to fit the vertical rib flush to the longitudinal rib with a minimal gap. The ribs are then welded using a filet weld between the vertical rib and the longitudinal rib.
During normal operation these dump bodies undergo numerous loading, hauling and dumping cycles. The repeated cycles transmit a variety of multi-directional stress forces through the body structure. Also during loading cycles, a front end loader may be used to dump material over the side of the truck. Occasionally, overly aggressive loader operators impact the side of the dump body with the loader linkage. This impacting, causes additional stress forces to be transmitted through the rib structure. As these stress forces move from longitudinal ribs to vertical ribs, the forces follow exterior legs, changing directions and passing through the filet welds. Fatigue weakens the structure near the intersections of the longitudinal ribs and vertical ribs. Occasionally, the weld joint cracks near the intersections of the ribs.
The present invention overcomes many of the above stated problems.
The present invention provides a truck having a frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably disposed on said frame, an engine and drive train drivingly attached to said wheels, and a dump body. The dump body includes a skeletal structure including a plurality of longitudinal ribs and vertical ribs. The longitudinal and vertical ribs have at least one side leg and an exterior leg. The longitudinal and vertical ribs are connected by a weld joint. The weld joint includes a cutout portion positioned at an intersection of a vertical leg. A tab portion is defined on the exterior leg of the vertical rib, the tab portion being adapted to interfit the cutout portion. A groove is defined between the cutout portion and the tab portion. The exterior leg of said longitudinal rib and the vertical rib are defined on a single planer surface. A weld is deposited in the groove joining the longitudinal rib and the vertical rib.